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In both stories I heard, they just paid the ransom. It was only around 500USD and they were all wealthy, well-connected people.
by AussieWog93 5y ago
In both stories I heard, they just paid the ransom. It was only around 500USD and they were all wealthy, well-connected people.
- jjtheblunt 5y agoDoes that seem as unconscionable in Oz as it does to us Yanks?
- AussieWog93 5y agoYeah, it's pretty abhorrent. But it's not surprising - poor people do desparate things to survive. Talk to a South African if you have the chance - they'll open your eyes a bit. :)
- jjtheblunt 5y agoSad stuff, crazy stuff.
- mytailorisrich 5y agoI saw an article on the BBC about scammers in the UK keeping track on dogs/cats reported lost/stolen and then pretending that they have it and demanding ransom. This might be even worse than an actual 'kidnapping': Owners end up no closer to finding their pet with the impact of having been conned out of money on top of it. That's on top of actual dogs theft, which have apparently boomed over the last year. It's not only in 'poor' countries... Unfortunately, animals are pretty much property in law, so the penalty is on par with stealing a bike from someone (although in the UK there are laws against cruelty to animals, which can kick in depending on circumstances). Recently it was reported that someone who drowned their neighbour's cat because it kept digging up his vegs in their garden was only sentenced to pay £1000 compensation (and short prison time but suspended, so same as nothing).
- jjtheblunt 5y agoIt kind of makes me think these cruelties are why the vigilante justice motif was born